2. She Met Him

DIYA

"Mr. Rajveer Raichand?"

I looked at my elder brother, completely surprised. I mean he works for Raichand's, they are one of the richest families in Kolkata.

"Yeah, but he isn't my immediate boss," bhaiya smiled uncomfortably. 

"Then who is?" I curiously asked him. 

I don't know why, but I felt eager to know about the Raichand's. But then, I noticed bhaiya's expressions, his face looked pale when I questioned him. He looked nervous but why should he be nervous?

"Why so many questions? You're young right now, you won't understand," he tapped my shoulders while saying that.

"I am just two years younger than you, Bhaiya," I responded, looking at him.

Is Bhaiya hiding things from me? If yes then what and why? And if Bhaiya is working for Raichand's, he should earn so much, but he isn't, where is the money?

Baba's treatment has made our survival tough. Seventy percent of what we earn goes to baba's treatment and medicines, and with that rest thirty percent, we barely even manage to survive, it's difficult for us to manage food thrice a day and now, I have demanded Bhaiya that I want to go to college?

What kind of a foolish girl am I, from where will he manage the fees? Probably he said to me that he works under Rajveer Raichand just to give me hopes that he would manage the funds. No, I don't want to study anymore.

"Hello, Ahmed sir," bhaiya's voice echoed in my ears pulling me out from the chain of my thoughts. 

I looked at him, he was talking to someone on the phone with a worried expression on his face.

"Sir, I need your help," Bhaiya spoke once more.

Wait a minute? Is he really going to arrange my fees for college? I kept on gawking at him, but the next minute he got up from his seat and walked out of the house.

I was surprised by his actions and I had many things to ask him, but I couldn't and so, I shifted my gaze back to the kitchen as I walked towards the unchopped vegetables and continued my work.

While I was done chopping the vegetables and placed the frying pan on the gas stove to cook, Bhaiya entered the house once again.

"Diyu, get ready. We have to leave," he spoke without even looking at me or the surroundings.

"We have to leave? Where?" I immediately looked at him with surprise.

Bhaiya walked towards me and picked up a raw carrot and started munching on it.

"I talked to Ahmed sir and told him about our condition and your dreams. I pleaded with him for help, so he fixed a meeting with Mr. Raichand within two hours and asked you to accompany me," he spoke.

Oh my god! Is Bhaiya serious? He really did that? He managed to have a meeting with Mr. Rajveer Raichand just so he can sponsor my studies. He is the best brother in the world, I love him.

"Oh my god! Bhaiya, I love you. You're the best brother in the world," I screamed with happiness as I hugged him tightly. 

He smiled at my crazy behavior.

"Now go, get ready," Bhaiya spoke, while turning off the gas stove.

"But, baba," I thought about Baba because if I left, there would be no one in the house and I didn't want to leave Baba alone.

"He can't even get out of the bed, don't worry about him," Bhaiya chuckled and I confusingly looked at him. 

How can he say like that about Baba?

"If you want to pursue higher education, then go and get ready. I won't say twice, Diya," Bhaiya's tone was demanding and firm, which scared me.

I immediately walked out of the kitchen and went inside the room just to pick up the clothes.

As I was looking for decent clothes, I felt nervous. Raichand's are rich people, their daily wears would cost thousands of rupees and here, I am, all my clothes are thrifted and not even worth one thousand rupees and that made me nervous.

I somehow found a decent top to pair it with my jeans and walked towards the bathroom to change. After changing my clothes, I decided to keep my hairs open, so that I looked good.

"Diya, how much time will you take?" Bhaiya shouted from the verandah as I was looking at the mirror. 

I immediately realize that he is one of the most impatient guys in the world.

"Yeah coming," I answered him as I hurried up to search for my shoes.

After getting ready, I walked up to Bhaiya. He had a glance at me and mildly smiled before leaving the house. I nodded and quickly followed him.

As we got down from the auto rickshaw, I looked around the place we were in. We were supposed to meet Mr. Raichand, but is this the place where the rich people conduct their meetings?

"Come with me," Bhaiya muttered as he held my hand. 

The place made me nervous as we walked. It was a meat market. The entire place was filled with butcher shops and there was a small passage to pass through the areas. The place was crowded and it stank badly. I couldn't bear the smell as we walked so I put my hand on my nose and looked around the place.

The shops, where butchered meats were hanging, people bargaining and shouting, blood spilled on the roads, all of it made me nervous and scared the hell out of me.

I looked at bhaiya, who was walking unbothered. Has he been here a multiple number of times? Because if he hasn't, there is no way possible he is so cool about the scene.

As we walked through those scary little passages and got deeper into the market, I could see the crowd getting away and the number of shops was decreasing as well. 

Now, there were huge godowns and warehouses. Bhaiya took a turn towards one of the warehouses and we entered the place.

I looked all around, it was an empty warehouse, there were few men surrounding the place and they were armed. I looked at the pistols, and I strengthen my grip over bhaiya's hand. I was scared.

Bhaiya looked at me, and maybe he understood that I was scared. He smiled a bit.

"Don't worry. There is nothing to fear," he responded with a soothing smile and I uncomfortably nodded.

We walked towards a man standing in the center. He looked old, but he had a wicked smile on his face.  His smile made me uncomfortable, and I tried to hide myself behind Bhaiya.

"Hey, little girl. You don't have to worry. No one will touch you here. You can call me Ahmed uncle," that old man spoke in a warm tone. 

I was surprised, even he looked intimidating, his tone did have a comfort level. I felt comforted by his words and stand beside Bhaiya.

"He will be here anytime," Ahmed uncle looked at Bhaiya and spoke. 

Bhaiya quietly nodded and we stood there, waiting for Mr. Rajveer Raichand.

After five minutes, 

I could hear the sound of screeching of tyres, announcing Mr. Rajveer Raichand's entry. My gaze was fixed towards the entrance because I wanted to have a look at him.

The moment I saw him, I was completely spellbound. Mr. Rajveer Raichand, that man had an aura around him, which could make people bow down to him. He had worn a white kurta pyjama, messed up hairs and beard, and wore black sunglasses that he removed after entering the warehouse.

He was tall, maybe more than six feet of height, a well-toned body that was slightly visible through his white translucent Kurta, and a stern face. He looked like he was in his late thirties, yet he looked handsome.

I couldn't move my gaze from him, and I could feel myself completely lost in him. I could sense my heart beating rapidly as he was coming near me, and that made me nervous. I looked down, at my outfit, I don't know why, but I wanted to look presentable in front of him.

He reached to us and then looked at Ahmed uncle. 

"What happened Ahmed? Why did you call me urgently? Have you forgotten the fact that my family is grieving and I am in no mood to work for thirteen days," he scolded Ahmed uncle.

Shit, Bhaiya made a mess. But, I focused on his deep and husky voice. His voice was scary and firm, but it somehow attracted me.

"Sorry, but who died?" I blurted out and immediately pressed my mouth with my palms.

What the heck did I speak? And was that a way to speak?

He looked at me after hearing my words. I looked at his eyes, those black orbs, it was scary and dark. It felt like those black orbs represented the darkness inside him. I was scared about what I spoke, and I wanted to cry.

"Sorry Sir, she is a kid," Bhaiya spoke the moment he noticed Rajveer Raichand glaring at me. He was scared about Rajveer's next actions.

"You should teach a kid when and what to say," Mr. Raichand scolded Bhaiya and he obediently nodded.

He then looked at me. I was scared by his gaze and tried to shift my gaze away from him, but I couldn't.

"And you, kid. It's my wife who passed away," he filled me with the information in a hoarse voice. I nodded at his words, but still, I couldn't shift my gaze away from him.

He then turned towards Ahmed uncle.

"Now tell me, Ahmed, what's the matter?" He asked.

"Actually, they need your help," Ahmed sir spoke in a calm, composed tone, taking care of his words so that he doesn't anger this intimidating man.

While Ahmed uncle and Rajveer Raichand spoke, I kept on looking at Mr. Raichand. I don't know what was happening to me, but I just couldn't shift my gaze from him. I kept on gawking at him, and people could tell, my gaze was uncomfortable.

"Fine. But you guys know, I don't do charity," he uttered in a hoarse voice.

"Sir,"

"Did I ask you to speak, young boy?" 

Bhaiya wanted to speak something but Rajveer didn't let him.

"Since you want your sister to pursue higher education, and you're asking money for it, why don't you let her work and earn the money she needs," he told Bhaiya, while he was looking at me.

We both were having eye contact, and maybe we both didn't know why we couldn't move our gaze away from each other.

"Work?" Bhaiya's tone depicted the surprise he felt when Mr. Raichand said that 

"Yes. She will be working in Ahmed's nightclub," Mr. Raichand announced.

What? Nightclub? Isn't a nightclub the place where people do shady things like drinking alcohol, doing drugs, harassing women, enjoying dancers who are treated as objects and stuff? He wants me to work in such a shady place?

Does he want me to be a part of the group of women who are harassed by drunk men in a nightclub?